Waiting Time. Wasting Time

NCT02938936 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 0344
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 597
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

Our study's principle purpose is to determine whether decreasing waiting time before being seen for antenatal care increases demand for and use of antenatal care services in Mozambique.

Conditions

Pregnancy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change in percent of women completing at least 4 prenatal care visits before and after intervention

  During most recent pregnancy, as reported in an exit survey conducted at discharge from delivery at baseline and six months after the start of the scheduling intervention

• Change in average waiting time before being seen for prenatal care before and after intervention

  Measured for 4 weeks at baseline before the start of the intervention, and for 4 weeks, 3 months after the start of the intervention

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Change in nurses satisfaction with their job (1-5 scale)

  Measured before the start of the intervention, and 6 months after the start of the intervention

• Change in proportion of key ANC services respondent reports receiving at most recent prenatal care visit, 9 possible services measured in exit survey at discharge from delivery.

  Measured at baseline and 6 months after the start of the intervention

Study Arms (2)

Scheduling Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Pre-natal visit scheduling

Other: Pre-natal visit scheduling

Control

NO INTERVENTION

Interventions

Pre-natal visit scheduling OTHER

This intervention will include a scheduled date and time for prenatal care follow-up visits. Women in the intervention group seeking care for their first ANC appointment will be offered several appointment slots on their return date by the nurse providing their first ANC visit. Women will be able select among the time options and will be provided an appointment card with their scheduled date and time. Staff will limit the number of scheduled women per hour by maintaining an appointment book. Clinic staff will be trained to differentiate between women returning for a scheduled visit from first prenatal visits, emergencies, and unscheduled return visits. First visits and emergencies will be seen during the first 2 hours after clinic opening and unscheduled women will be seen during a one-hour time slot midday. When women return on their date, they will be seen within one hour of their appointment time by clinic staff.

Scheduling Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• \. Women who delivered at the health facility during the weeks of recruitment
• \. Women at the health facility to seek care for antenatal care or another reproductive health service (anticipate total enrollment of 800 women)
• Have worked in the health facility for at least 6 months
• The health care worker provides ANC as part of their routine duties (anticipate total enrollment of 4 health care workers)

You may not qualify if:

• Women under 18 years of age will be excluded
• Women whose babies die during labor or childbirth from the delivery exit interviews

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH): lead
• London School of Economics and Political Science: collaborator

Related Publications (1)

• Steenland M, Dula J, de Albuquerque A, Fernandes Q, Cuco RM, Chicumbe S, Gudo ES, Sequeira S, McConnell M. Effects of appointment scheduling on waiting time and utilisation of antenatal care in Mozambique. BMJ Glob Health. 2019 Nov 25;4(6):e001788. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2019-001788. eCollection 2019.

  PMID: 31803509 DERIVED

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor of Global Health Economics

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 17, 2016
• First Posted: October 19, 2016
• Study Start: October 1, 2016
• Primary Completion: July 1, 2017
• Study Completion: July 1, 2017
• Last Updated: May 2, 2018

Record last verified: 2018-04